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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Luxe Life

In 1904, a new residential development called Oaklawn was taking shape on the north side of South Pas. The wide, tree-lined streets and sweeping Arts and Crafts showcase homes called for a unifying design in the neighborhood's lines of demarcation. The area was within walking distance to the famous Raymond Hotel -- a stomping ground for the rich and mighty -- and potential Oaklawn residents were tempted with promises of the good life in this "Suburb de Luxe." Advertisements for the neighborhood described it as a place "for those who want the best in every particular."

Apparently, that included walls and gates.

South Pasadena Realty and Improvement Company hired the firm of Greene and Greene to create the prestigious development's entrance gates and surrounding fence. The result? Clinker-brick platforms set with handpicked stones from the Arroyo and embellished with rustic timber, tile roofs and artisan-crafted wrought iron. The gates-- and the corresponding stone pillars on the surrounding walls -- seemed to encapsulate the Greene and Greene aesthetic, right down to the tapering boulders at the base and top of each pillar. As you can see by today's photo, the portals have weathered the last century well and are largely unchanged today. (Trust me, the gate on the other side of the street looks just as wonderful.) The good life, indeed.

(You can take a look at the original Greene and Greene design plans here. For more on Oaklawn, check out this article from American Bungalow Magazinehere.)

Nice photo. If you take the link to the design plan and then go one page back you'll see a full photo of the Oaklawn Bridge.

Speaking of Lush Life, last night I went to see a friend playing jazz at Palate in Glendale, located in an old Bekins storage building on the Boulevard of Cars. The restaurant is really good and includes a wine shop that you can visit during the day, lots of exotic wines and cheeses. The jazz was really amazing. A little different than most. The drummer plays drums like an instrument - never heard anything quite like it. All the players were really good and work well together. The music is there on Tuesday nights from 8 to 9:30- check with me if you want to be sure they'll be there.

Speaking of jazz, I still laugh when I think of my daughter on a play date last year. Her playmate's mom was playing a CD of children's music. Little Bit turned and said, "Excuse me, this is nice but do you think we could listen to some REAL music? Like jazz? Miles Davis is good..."

I had to correct her manners... but I was secretly proud of her musical taste! :-)

On the subject of the Oaklawn portals, they really are extraordinary to examine up close. Amazing workmanship and simplicity of design. The pillars on the surrounding Oaklawn walls are similarly wonderful.

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In December of 2007, after many years on the west side of Los Angeles (and at least a third of those years spent stuck in traffic on Pico Boulevard) my family settled into a happy little house in South Pasadena. This daily blog covered almost 5 years as I put down roots in my new home town -- and almost 5 more as I settled in and became a South Pas old-timer. While I don't always blog daily, I add new posts every week.

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